


Batman: His Dark Shame

by QueenVictoria88



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27914779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenVictoria88/pseuds/QueenVictoria88
Summary: Short, but sweet.It has been mere months since Jason died on Bruce's watch and Bane breaks into the cave to attack Batman. In the scuffle, Jason's memorial gets destroyed and so does whatever was holding Bruce together. Alfred again, has to pick up the pieces. Or in short, Bruce breaks down having to think about Jason again.
Kudos: 12





	Batman: His Dark Shame

His sight goes blurry as he takes a punch to the head thinking it will give him time to counter with a gadget from his belt, but instead, Bane intensely grabs Batman like he’s a pile of laundry and tosses him into his computer station. Batman’s back crashes into the monitors and he topples over the desk, he smacks onto the floor and rolls over onto his stomach. Ignoring any pain, he decides this position is better. Batman had planned to counter, but now he has coverage which he can use to his advantage. As Bane will most certainly be proud he’s knocked the Bat down, Batman can scurry into the dark. He sharply watches Bane from the shadows. The madman suddenly realizing he’s lost Batman’s location lets his anger rise. “GAHHH!” Bane yells as he crashes his fists into the table near by and it collapses into a heap.

Batman feels wetness on his lips. He ignores the iron taste running from his nose as he doesn’t dare yet make a move. He waits for Bane to become overwhelmed with his anger because as he was correct before, he knows he’s also right about this too. Bane violently tears apart the Batcave all while turning his back to Batman and unknowingly perfectly lining himself up. Batman launches a batarang crisply into the air. The object slices like butter through the green filled tubing severing Bane’s connection to his venom. With Bane’s juice emptied, he’s now about as threatening as a puppy. Batman takes Bane down quickly ending the fight. After Bane broke in, the two had been squaring off for nearly fifteen minutes and managed in that time to collide into everything they possibly could come into contact with. The Batcave now in ultimate disarray. Once again, there is only silence and the occasional bat screech to be heard.

Alfred emerges after sensing the tension clear, concern evident on his face until he sees Batman standing by what was the uniform case. He’s relieved to see Bruce conscious, standing and the victor. However the piles of debris, smoke and ridiculous mess he sees before him gives him pause for celebration. Not a moment later he realizes Bruce is mumbling to himself.

“Master Bruce?” Alfred questions as he’s tentatively making his way through crushed metal over to him.

“Oh no.” Bruce mutters sadly with his back turned to Alfred.

“Master Bruce? What—“ Alfred sees as he rounds Bruce’s side that he is almost cradling Jason’s uniform. It is torn badly, a casualty from the fight that had just occurred.

Bruce begins to break, his voice cracks again when he says no and his breathing increases. Alfred knows he’s fighting tears. “Master Bruce, I can’t fix it.”

Bruce accidentally lets a tiny sob free as if he was carrying too much and one slipped from his hold. He lowers his head even more, pulling the uniform closer to his body. He crumples like paper into himself, fighting the tears.

Alfred carefully places his hands on either side of Bruce’s shoulders for comfort. “Sir, I can fix it.” Again the words don’t seem to reach him and Alfred’s heart aches. Alfred presses his body into Bruce for more support. “Master Bruce, Jason isn’t his uniform. I assure you, I can fix it.” He knows the torn uniform he easily fixed while Jason was alive is not the issue.

Bruce finally looks at him, eyes of pain, struggling to comprehend. He hands the uniform over to Alfred and calms down on command, almost embarrassed by his reaction. Alfred takes the uniform and forces the cities' protector twice his size into a well formed embrace.

Bruce wilts into his shoulder. “I couldn’t even protect his memory.”

Alfred holds him for a second as he too feels agony over Jason. He reassures Bruce with his own voice now emotional. “You did your best. You always do your best. I can fix this, Sir.” Despite his words, Alfred knows he’s up against Bruce guilt and nothing he says will make a difference. He can help the Dark Knight solve the most complex cases to protect Gotham, but when it comes to personal shame, he alone has to pull himself out.

When the two disconnect and go their separate ways, Alfred to mend the uniform and Batman to return an unconscious Bane to prison; they quietly think of Jason. The young soul lost too soonwho's uniform has sat behind them. To Alfred, it's been a comfort, a memorial, a legacy, but to Bruce, it's been a reminder, a dark shame. It takes Alfred maybe an hour, but when it is complete, again you can barely tell the boy’s suit was ever torn to shreds. Regardless of the entire cave being in shambles, Bruce has only focused on one thing. Still dressed in his Batman suit ignoring any injury, blood dried on his face, Bruce has managed to fetch a spare case for the suit. He’s cleaned up the area and is ready when Alfred hands it to him. Bruce places the Robin suit in the case and makes sure it is presented perfectly.

“Shall we clean you or the rest of the cave up first, Sir?”

Batman finally removes his cowl so he can better look at Jason’s Robin suit once again on display. Bruce always carries an air of anger, torture with him, but suddenly there is the smallest sense of peace restored. “Thank you, Alfred.” Alfred again places a hand on Bruce’s shoulder in hopes of providing another tender moment. “We'll start with the computer.” He retorts with a chill. Just like that, Batman is back and whatever emotion of Bruce was allowed to escape before has been firmly cauterized. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this happened to me recently and I decided to deal with how I'm the emotional crutch for my parent (it'd be cooler if they were Batman). I needed to write it into a Batman fan fiction or their sobbing was going to continue to haunt me. The piece that was broken for them, I did fix. Stuff does not equal a person, but memories are easier to hold on to when you have their things. And holidays are always tough, holidays during a pandemic, harder. Anyway, I thought 'What would happened to Batman if early on something happened to something of Jason's.' Sure he could just be angry, but I think it is more interesting to explore more complex feelings and early on it would break him. After Tim, I think he deals with it better so I wanted to explore him losing it (as much as Batman could lose it) over Jason. Hope you liked it.


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